Office of Academic Initiatives

Students at Montgomery College, including high school students seeking to take college courses, will be required to meet all assessment and prerequisite requirements for each course sought. Montgomery College uses a variety of methods for determining course placement, including the SAT, ACT, AP and previous college coursework. However, for most students, initial course placements are determined by scores from the ACCUPLACER test. The College uses the ACCUPLACER test as in indicator of College readiness and to help students identify areas in need of skill development. Dually Enrolled students may only enroll in college level credit courses and may not enroll in developmental courses or
courses that combine developmental and college level work. Students
must test at 53+ ACCUReading to be eligible to take any
college course.

In accordance with College policy, all ACCUPLACER, SAT and ACT scores will remain part of the student's permanent college record and will be used to determine eligibility to take a course through Dual Enrollment as well as future course placement at MC after HS graduation.

Do I have to take the ACCUPLACER test?

Students may be exempt from taking the ACCUPLACER by providing minimum qualifying SAT or ACT scores in English and/or math as follows:

For instructions on how to submit official SAT or ACT scores click HERE

Do I take the ACCUPLACER or ESL ACCUPLACER test?

To determine your English assessment level and placement, If
your first language is American English or you have attended a U.S.
school for 10 or more years (elementary, middle, high school), you will
take the Accuplacer placement test. Otherwise, you will take the ESL Accuplacer placement test designed for students who speak American English as a second (or subsequent) language.

All students take the math section of the Accuplacer to determine the appropriate math assessment level and placement.

Where Do I take the Test?

MCPS Students:The ACCUPLACER exam is administered at your high school on scheduled dates. Students should check with their DEPA to obtain permission to test, testing schedule and next steps. Students who do not test in the high school during the scheduled dates may obtain a Test Authorization Form to test at an assessment center on one of MC's three main campuses. Authorizations will be provided by the MC Academic Coordinator through the DEPA .

Non-MCPS Students: All other Maryland public school, home-schooled, private and out of state students must obtain a Test Authorization Form to test at an assessment center on one of MC's three main campuses. Authorizations will only be provided by the MC Academic Coordinator.

How Do I Prepare For the Test?

To prepare for the ACCUPLACER and ESL ACCUPLACER practice tests and for additional information go to: